Optical device for providing a three dimensional view of a two dimensional image

Abstract

An optical device for providing a three dimensional view of a two dimensional image therein has a holder for pivotally supporting coacting right and left viewing conduits each respectively in communication at one end with the two dimensional image and at the opposite ends the right viewing conduit having a right eye viewing member and the left viewing conduit having a left eye viewing member, and said right and left viewing conduits having therein coacting optical systems which act to split the two dimensional image and to pass one split image from the right conduit to the left eye viewing member on the left viewing conduit, and the other split image from the left viewing conduit to the right eye viewing member so that when the images are viewed binocularly they will give a three dimensional optical effect, an adjusting device is provided to adjust the right and left viewing conduits towards and away from each other to position the respective right eye and left eye viewing members in accordance with the spaced distance between the eyes of the user of the device, and the right eye and left eye viewing members are adjustable to sharpen the focus of the viewed split images.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An optical device for viewing a two dimensional image in three dimensional form comprising: a. holder means   b. a right viewing box assembly and a left viewing box assembly pivotally connected in said holder means and respectively disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line thereof.   c. means connected to the respective right viewing box assembly and left viewing box assembly for moving the same towards and away from each other and towards and away from the longitudinal center line of said holder means,   d. an image receiving means on said holder means for holding the two dimensional image therein.   e. said right viewing box assembly having a first mirror means at one end optically associated with the image receiving means to provide a first image of the two dimensional image therein,   f. said left viewing box assembly having a second mirror means at one end optically associated with the image receiving mean to provide a second image of the two dimensional image different from the first image,   g. said right viewing box assembly having a right eye viewing member and said left viewing box assembly having a left eye viewing member at the respective end thereof remote from the end optically associated with the image receiving means,   h. said right viewing box assembly having a right cross-over opening along the longitudinal center line of the holder means and inward of the right eye viewing member, and said left viewing box assembly having a left cross-over opening along the longitudinal center line of the holder means inward of the left eye viewing member and in alignment with the right cross-over opening,   i. said right viewing box assembly having a right eye viewing mirror optically associated with the right eye viewing member disposed adjacent the right cross-over opening, and said left viewing box assembly having a left eye viewing mirror operatively associated with the left eye viewing member disposed adjacent the left cross-over opening, and   j. coacting optical transmitting systems respectively in said right viewing box assembly and said left viewing box assembly including lens means and at least one transmitting mirror for transmitting said respective first image from said first mirror means through said cross-over opening to the left eye viewing mirror and said second image from said second mirror means through said left cross-over opening to the right eye viewing mirror so that the resolved image viewed will be in three dimensional form.   
     
     
       2. In an optical device as claimed in claim 1 wherein: a. hinge means is fixedly connected in the longitudinal center line of the holder mean a predetermined spaced distance from the image receiving means,   b. said right viewing box assembly and said left viewing box assembly are connected to said hinge means on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the holder means, and   c. said means for moving the right viewing box assembly towards and away from each other is mounted on the holder means and connected to the medial section of the respective right and left viewing box assembly.   
     
     
       3. In an optical device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first mirror means and said second mirror means are disposed and maintained at different angular positions during all positions to which the respective right viewing box assembly and left viewing box assembly are moved so as to provide the respective different first image and second image to be transmitted. 
     
     
       4. In an optical device as claimed in claim 1 wherein, a. said right viewing box assembly has a first Z-shaped image transmitting passage,   b. said left viewing box assembly has a second Z-shaped image transmitting passage, and   c. said first Z-shaped image transmitting passage communicates with said aligned left cross-over opening in said left viewing box assembly, and said second Z-shaped image transmitting passage communicates with the aligned right cross-over opening in said right viewing box assembly.   
     
     
       5. In an optical device as claimed in claim 4 wherein: a. the first mirror means is at the beginning of the first Z-shaped image transmitting passage of the right viewing box assembly, the right eye viewing mirror is at the end of the first Z-shaped image transmitting passage, and one of said coacting optical and mirror systems lies medially in the said first Z-shaped image transmitting passage between the first mirror means and the right eye viewing mirror.   b. the second mirror means is at the beginning of the second Z-shaped image transmitting passage of the left viewing box assembly, the left eye viewing mirror is at the end of the second Z-shaped image transmitting passage for the left viewing box assembly, and the other of said coacting optical and mirror systems lies medially in the said second Z-shaped image transmitting passage between the second mirror means and the left eye viewing mirror, and   c. said first mirror means and said second mirror means are disposed and maintained at different angular positions during all positions of movement of said right viewing box assembly and left viewing box assembly respectively to provide respectively a first image and a different second image.